Time shown on the left is the local time in Beirut, Lebanon

At Ya Libnan we couldn't go to sleep last night , until we reported about the deal .

22:27 Aoun said had it not been for the military operations by Hezbollah the Arabs wouldn't have moved to help in ending Lebanon crises. Aoun said he plans to continue his relations with Hezbollah . and indicated that the additional five opposition ministers in the new cabinet will be from his FPM. Aoun said all the Lebanese emerged as victorious in Doha

21:41 Hariri said the agreement would heal the wound resulting from what has happened and hopes a new era has begun in Lebanon.

20:42 US President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice meet with Lebanese Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butrous Sfeir in the White House.

19:50 The Lebanese delegation returning from Qatar arrives in the Beirut International Airport.

19:06 Lebanese expatriates in Qatar assembled in front of the "Sheraton" hotel, the venue of the Lebanese national dialogue to express their joy over the agreement and to thank Qatar for its efforts in achieve this historic accord

18:51 Lebanese citizens raise flags and release white balloons in Martyr's Square to celebrate the end of the downtown sit-in.

18:46 Church bells toll and prayers from the minarets of Mosques to celebrate the return of life to the city center

18:23 US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice: The Doha Agreement is a positive step toward solving the Lebanese crisis.


17:44 PM siniora's advisor Mohammad Shatah announces that the cabinet was informed of Sunday's elections by the parliament speaker's office.

17:30 Sudan expressed satisfaction with the Lebanese agreement

17:26 US State Department welcomes Doha accord between Lebanese leaders as a positive step.

17:20 Emir of Kuwait and Bahrain congratulated Emir of Qatar for the results of the Lebanese national dialogue and expressed hope that the agreement will be implemented as soon as possible

17:10 Minister Safadi was the first to arrive in Beirut , coming from Qatar on board of his private plane

17:02 Siniora received a telephone call from Major General Michel Suleiman to congratulate him on the agreement. Suleiman also contacted the Arab prime ministers and Foreign ministers

15:38 Speaker Nabih Berri's media advisor, Ali Hamdan, to NOW Lebanon: Sunday May 25, 2008 is the date of the parliamentary session to elect a president.

14:43 General Michel Suleiman expresses his great satisfaction with the Doha Agreement.

14:34 Opposition sources to NOW Lebanon: The removal of the tents from downtown, which started at 11:30, is being carried out by Hezbollah's construction arm, Jihad Al-Binaa, and will be finished by midnight tonight.

14:20 New TV: The private plane of Saad Hariri will depart leave Doha at 4:00 pm and the two Qatar Airways aircrafts carrying the rest of the delegation and the accompanying media will depart at 5:00 pm and the estimated arrival time of arrival time in Beirut is 8:pm

14:10 Cardinal Sfeir and president Bush to discuss the Lebanese issue today

14:24 Security sources told NOW Lebanon that according to official reports, the military confrontations this month left 67 dead and 199 wounded in different parts of the country, including Beirut, the Mountain and North Lebanon.

13:45 National News Agency: The Free Patriotic Movement and Amal removed their tents from Beirut, while Hezbollah is still working to remove all their tents at the same time.

12:59 Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad Rida Shibani announces his support for the Doha agreement.

12:58 Saudi Ambassador Abdul Aziz Khoja to NOW Lebanon: We are happy with the Doha Agreement and hope that civil peace returns to Lebanon.

12:54 MP Misbah Ahdab to Future News: The new phase will start when the agreement in implemented fully; I call on the Arab countries to follow up on this subject.

12:45 French President Nicolas Sarkozy: Doha agreement is a huge success for Lebanon and should be implemented fully.

12:37 MP Michel Aoun to the Future News Channel: The solution we have reached is not seen as perfect by any of the parties. Every party has taken its minimum demands, which was the common point. I hope this agreement is a starting point for a genuine meeting between the opposition and the majority. Other pending problems will be solved in Beirut, and there is no need to worry about anything.

12:32 LBC: There are celebrations in the village of Amchit, the birthplace of General Michel Sleiman, with people hanging up his pictures and Lebanese flags.

12:31 Minister Marwan Hamadeh to the Voice of Lebanon radio station: What matters is returning to institutions. This agreement is aimed at reaffirming the Taif Agreement. The downtown sit-in was a collective punishment to the Lebanese people. From now on, security will be the responsibility of the Lebanese army and security forces across all Lebanese soil.

12:26 Saudi Ambassador in Lebanon Abd AL-Aziz Khoja: The Saudi Kingdom supports the agreement in Doha, which will help in ending the political crisis in Lebanon.

12:25 MP Hussein Hajj Hassan to LBC: We need to work on the relation between Lebanon and Syria, and we are willing to help in this issue because we are part of the Lebanese state.

12:16 MP Hussein Hajj Hassan to LBC: There is a written agreement with Arab sponsorship, and we insist on its fulfillment. The issue of the arms was not on the table of discussion since the first day of the dialogue, and using arms to achieve political gains is not in Hezbollah's agenda.

12:12 MP Michel Al-Murr to LBC: This is a monumental step in the path to solve the crisis in Lebanon, and it will be followed by several steps that will reinforce this agreement. There will be a parliamentary session to elect a president this Sunday with Arab presence, and the biggest winner is Lebanon. In a week's time, Head of Parliament Berri will call for a dialogue to discuss the remaining clauses.

12:07 Al-Arabiya: Head of Parliament Nabih Berry will call for a parliamentary session to elect a president on Sunday.

12:06 MP Hsein Hajj Hassan to Future News: The Doha agreement is a new phase to build the state of Lebanon.

11:57 Former President Amin Gemayel to LBC: This is a new phase, and we hope it will be positive. This agreement is very important, especially regarding the arms and the authority of the state on the ground. The other important issue is the election of a new president, and what we did today is a truce that we hope will last for a long time, and will reinforce the democratic institutions.

11:56 The opposition has started dismantling its downtown sit-in.

11:51 Preparations are underway in Baabda for the reception of new president General Michel Sleiman, making him the 12th president since the independence, and the 3rd president after the Taif Agreement.

11:37 AFP: France hailed the agreement reached in Qatar as an "essential step" to restoring unity, stability and independence to Lebanon.

11:33 LF leader Samir Geagea: The agreement is the best possible, but it does not fulfill our ambitions. It is a good start. The latest incidents have pushed Lebanon in a dangerous direction. The positive side is that the incidents have put Lebanon on a different course: The shift from the opposition's sit-in in Riad Al-Solh Square to the presidential elections, and from the obstruction of the parliament to its opening.

11:28 MP Hariri: What happened must not be repeated, and we have to work on solving it. I thank the opposition because it has also made compromises. I also thank the media for its coverage of the Doha Conference.

11:24 MP Hariri: The wounds are deep, especially mine, but we only have each other.

11:23 MP Saad Hariri in a press conference after the declaration of the Doha Agreement: All members of the March 14 forces have made sacrifices. We want all Lebanese to live together in peace.

11:01 Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mouallem: Syria supports the agreement between the Lebanese in Doha.

10:49 Press conference on the agreement between the majority and the opposition

10:35 LF leader Samir Geagea to the Voice of Lebanon radio station: The agreement is the best possible, but it does not fulfill our ambitions. But we have to find a way out of the present situation, and the most important thing is that a president is elected in the coming 48 hours.

10:09 MP Akram Chehayeb to the Voice of Lebanon radio station: March 14 has acted in a responsible way, and the Doha agreement has been baptized by blood.

10:08 MP Nabil de Freij to the Voice of Lebanon radio station: The electoral districting is not the best scenario, but it is the best possible, and I hope that the people's trust in the state will be restored. We are still waiting for the agreement's implementation. There are still people living outside their homes and their city because militias are preventing them from returning. I hope that the people who are involved in this intervene and withdraw their militias.

10:07 MP Boutros Harb to the Voice of Lebanon radio station: I hope that the implementation of the Doha Agreement will not face the same fate as that of the Taif Agreement. This agreement is very important, especially since it is the first time that the matter of Hezbollah's weapons, which has turned into a central issue after they were turned inward on the Lebanese, is being discussed.

09:56 MP Mohammed Raad to the Voice of Lebanon radio station: We have great hope that this agreement will lead us from a time of provocation, incitement and tension toward an era of solutions, agreement and unity. We only have each other. This is not the prefect agreement, but it paves the way for understanding with each other. We hope that this agreement will drive us out of the storm that shook Lebanon.

09:49 Future News Channel: The presidential elections will be held tomorrow.

07:22 Ambassador Hisham Youssef, director of the office of the Arab League secretary general, told AFP that the statement announcing the agreement will deal with the issue of weapons according to the Beirut Agreement. This declaration will be the first step toward dialogue over this matter and will be continued later with the president in Beirut.

07:20 MP Ali Hassan Khalil to AFP: An agreement has been reached between the majority and the opposition. It is expected that the presidential session to elect Army Commander General Michel Sleiman as president will be held on Thursday or Friday.

00:13 "OTV": Salim Aoun confirms that the opposition has agreed to the formula agreed by the Quartet committee on the electoral division of Beirut, pointing out that all are waiting for pro-government forces' response

23:52 Hassan Yaqub told LBC:" There are a lot of issues and ideas being discussed and we are trying hard not to return to Lebanon without a solution to the crisis

22:55 There are unconfirmed reports that the four-member committee appointed by the Arab Ministerial committee has come up with a solution to the division of Beirut electoral region by dividing it into 3 districts of 4, 6 and 9 parliamentary seats

Tags: Breaking News, Hezbollah, Lebanon, Qatar, source: Naharnet, source: Now Lebanon, Ya Libnan